Programs, CPU and Memory

Programs - instructions that tell computer what to do

External Data Bus (EDB) - a row of wires that interconnect parts of our computer

Inside the CPU are components called Registers, which let us store the data that our CPU works with

Memory Controller Chip (MCC) - bridge between CPU and RAM

Cache - smaller than RAM, but allows us to store data that we use often and quickly reference

Cache speeds up process by holding a local copy of the most recently accessed data in temporary storage
L1, L2, L3 are the 3 different cache levels
L1 is smallest and fastest cache; holds the data currently in use by the CPU. Each CPU core usually has its own L1 cache.
L2 holds less data than L3 cache, but it has faster access speeds. L2 holds a copy of the most recently accessed data that is NOT currently in use by the CPU. Each CPU core normally has its own L2 cache.
L3 largest and slowest of CPU cache. However, it is often twice as fast as RAM. L3 is the first CPU cache location to store data after it is transferred from RAM. L3 cache is often shared by all of the cores in a single CPU.

CPU has internal clock that keeps its operations in sync; connects to Clock Wire

when you send/receive data, it sends a voltage to clock wire to let CPU know to start doing calculations
when voltage is sent to clock wire, that is known as Clock Cycle

Clock Speed - maximum number of clock cycles that it can handle in a certain time period

Overclocking - exceeding number of clock cycles; pushing over the max to perform more tasks or increase performance in lower end CPUs

can potentially overheat or damage CPU or surrounding hardware, or reduce lifespan of computer and void warranty
For example, if a processor is labeled as having a 3.2 GHz base frequency rate, it may be possible to overclock the CPU to run at 3.5 GHz. Achieving a higher CPU clock frequency rate means the CPU can process a higher volume of instructions per nanosecond, resulting in faster performance

Overclocking a CPU’s frequency involves three variables:

The base CPU clock frequency, often measured in GHz.
The core frequency, which is calculated by multiplying the base frequency by the CPU core multipliers.
The core voltage, which needs to be increased in small increments to meet the increasing power demand of the CPU during the overclocking process.